LAKE COUNTY — Drinking alcohol will not be allowed in any of the county”s 17-plus parks for a year, pending a second reading of an ordinance approved Tuesday by the Lake County Board of Supervisors. The second reading is scheduled for Jan. 15.
A clause setting a sunset date one year in the future was added after a discussion of the ordinance”s value to citizens and to law enforcement. Lake County Sheriff Rodney Mitchell submitted a memorandum, dated Jan. 3, to the board with anonymous comments from his deputies about how the ordinance was used while it was in effect during the past 18 months. Mitchell was not present for the discussion.
One of Mitchell”s deputies commented in the memorandum, “several times during enforcement actions I was contacted by people who had their families in the park who expressed their gratitude that the parks were now places where they could take their children without a bunch of people sitting around getting drunk.”
Another deputy wrote, “It has been beneficial in riding the park of our local ”park rats” causing them to consume their alcoholic beverages and making the parks more attractive to the many tourists passing through on Highway 20.”
County public services director Kim Clymire, who oversees parks maintenance staff, advocated making the ordinance permanent. “The time we spend cleaning up broken glass in playground areas keeps us from doing more positive things,” Clymire said, referring to park improvements and general maintenance.
District 3 Supervisor Denise Rushing was one of two supervisors to express concern about how the prohibition would affect park users. “This is one of the more difficult issues; we”re living in a time when we”re constantly asked to trade civil liberties for safety and enforcement,” Rushing said.
Rushing added that she gathered from talking with constituents about the trade-off, “by and large everyone is on the fence on it; they say, ”we really want the parks to be safe so we”re willing to say yes to this, but we”re worried that you (law enforcement officers) have additional probable cause and additional means for interrogation.” Those things are a reduction of civil liberties.”
Six out of 11 deputies who commented on the ordinance at Mitchell”s request reported issuing citations or making arrests as a result of the ordinance, but not for a direct violation of the ordinance. Three deputies reported taking action related to the ordinance itself. Ten deputies reported that they believed the ordinance made Lake County”s parks safer.
“I voted against this in the past, primarily because I have a problem understanding the reason why ? and it happens all the time ? because of bad behavior of a few people we impose rules on everyone,” chairman Ed Robey said. “Even though having glass wine is legal. The taxpayers pay to have these public parks. It bothers me. But I”m glad vandals and people who break glass have quit frequenting the parks because they think think this will get them in trouble.”
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